Georgian PM highlights progress on EU Association Agreement commitments

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday said Georgia’s primary task in its relations with the European Union was to implement the commitments outlined in the Association Agenda and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement, noting that the country has already fulfilled around 90% of the relevant obligations and will be significantly better prepared to advance the process by the end of 2028.

Speaking in an interview with Imedi TV, Kobakhidze said Georgia would be in a much stronger position to continue its European integration efforts by the end of 2028 than it was four years ago.

“As for the steps to be taken regarding the European Union, our main task is to implement the measures envisaged by the Association Agenda and the DCFTA, the free trade agreement. According to current figures, we have already fulfilled around 90% of the relevant obligations arising from the Association Agreement and the free trade agreement, and we continue to work actively in this direction”, he said.

The Prime Minister recalled that the implementation rate stood at approximately 65% two years ago, highlighting what he described as substantial progress since then.

“We did not have this level of implementation even two years ago, when the rate was around 65%. This remains our main focus, and we continue to work on it despite the fact that the opening of accession negotiations is not currently on the agenda”, Kobakhidze noted.

He argued that by the end of 2028 Georgia would be considerably better positioned to move forward in its EU integration process than it was four years ago or even at the end of 2024.

“By the end of 2028, we will be much better prepared to continue this process than we were, for example, four years ago, or even at the end of 2024, when the relevant statement was made”, Kobakhidze concluded.